Local enforcement teams and their sniffer dogs will take to the streets of Bath this week to ask for the public’s help in tackling the sellers of illegal tobacco.
Trading Standards officers from Bath & North East Somerset Council, supported by Smokefree South West, will be joined by specially-trained tobacco detection dogs, Scamp, Phoebe and Yoyo, at the Illegal Tobacco Mobile Unit at Kingsmead Square, Bath on Thursday 29th October.
The ex-rescue dogs have helped officers sniff out thousands of pounds worth of illegal tobacco, which is often hidden behind fake walls or in unusual locations.
Illegal tobacco is known to make it easier for children to start smoking, as it is sold at cheap prices, and is also known to make communities more attractive to criminals, who can have links to organised crime.
The ‘Keep it Out’ campaign has been running for five years and aims to help the public know what illegal tobacco looks like; what the dangers are, and encourages them to keep their eyes open and report illegal tobacco being sold in their neighbourhood. Information about where the illegal tobacco is sold often comes from members of the public.
Because of the campaign, the number of smokers buying illegal tobacco in the South West has fallen by more than a fifth (20%) in just three years, from 20% of smokers in 2010, to 16% in 2013.
Cllr Martin Veal (Conservative, Bathavon North), Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “The Council’s Trading Standards and Public Health teams are cracking down on the sale and supply of illegal tobacco.
“It is one of our top priorities for action, not only because smoking remains one of the UK’s biggest causes of premature death but we also know that the availability of cheap, illegal tobacco makes it harder for people to give up smoking.
“All tobacco is harmful, but illegal tobacco poses an additional threat to our children and communities, because it is sold at pocket money prices by criminals who are not interested in asking for proof of age.
“It puts young people into risky situations with adults who might also be selling alcohol, drugs or who might take the opportunity to exploit the relationship that gets built up over time.”
The South West campaign is part of the wider Tackling Illegal Tobacco Programme which draws together local authorities in the South West with HMRC, Trading Standards, police forces, Scambusters, Crimestoppers and other key partners to tackle this issue.
Andrea Dickens, deputy director of Smokefree South West, said: “If you see it, please report it, this isn’t about some ‘harmless bootlegging’, it’s about keeping criminals out of your neighbourhood and children and young people safe from harm and a potentially deadly habit.
“There is a lot of work being done across the region to tackle illegal tobacco but we need the public support to help us. Please tell us about where illegal tobacco is being sold, either in person at our mobile illegal tobacco unit, go online or via our hotline. “
A survey shows that the public are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of illegal tobacco. 82.5% of adults in the South West agree that illegal tobacco is a danger to children because they can buy it easily and cheaply. 57.5 % agree that it brings crime in to local communities.*
The sale of illegal tobacco is a criminal offence. Anyone wishing to report the selling of illegal tobacco can report anonymously online to Trading Standards at www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk or call the Illegal Tobacco Hotline (operated by the Tackling Illegal Tobacco for Better Health Partnership) on 0300 999 0000.
They cannot trace your call and will never ask for your name.